


The Light in his Dark World

by SunnyInOregon



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 14:05:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 2,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14594631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SunnyInOregon/pseuds/SunnyInOregon
Summary: He never noticed the little things changing in his life.





	1. No One Said a Word

**Author's Note:**

> This is a stand alone, series of vignettes describing the growth of a relationship between David Rossi and Penelope Garcia. It starts in Season 13, no spoilers of Season 13, however, there are mentions of previous episodes particularly The Wheels on the Bus. Other than that it is all contrived by the author.

The first time he kissed her it was Christmas and the entire team was hanging out at JJ and Will’s place. She had been outside playing in the snow and her cheeks were flushed from the cold and activity. He stopped her as she was removing her coat; the red in her cheeks and the light in her eyes was more than he could stand. He kissed her as their friends walked past wordlessly. She held him tight and kissed him back.

They sat wrapped in each others embrace as they enjoyed the friendship that surrounded them. Every so often they would share a kiss or just stare warmly in each others eyes. The silent acceptance of their relationship from their friends and colleagues meant more than anything anyone could have said.


	2. Wonder Woman Meets Superman

She comes over late one night, tears streaking her face, carrying a film projector and a bag of wine and chips. He lets her set up the projector in the living room. He takes down his favorite Monet so they have a clear space on the wall. They watch super 8 movies of her childhood and she cries because it’s her Mom’s birthday and she really misses her family right now. 

After a couple of hours, he excuses himself to the garage where he digs through a pile of dusty boxes sitting under a tarp in the corner. He finds the one he wants and carries it back inside, setting it on the floor in front of her. She sniffles as he digs through the box and pulls out a reel marked “Davey 1960”.

“Put this on,” he says gruffly. She takes the reel and threads it onto the projector. They settle back on the couch. He puts his arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer. She snuggles in. He watches her instead of the film.

She laughs when 4 year old Davey, wearing white briefs and a towel as a cape, appears on the screen. He runs around the backyard chasing an imaginary bad guy. She cheers when her “Superman” beats the bad guy and saves the world once again. She smiles at him and the tears in her eyes are from joy rather than sadness. He kisses her softly and silently vows to do whatever he can to beat all the bad guys in her life.

Months later, the Monet is in his den and the projector still sits on the table. She has watched every film he has in the box but her favorite is Davey 1960, which she watches at least twice a week.


	3. The Light in his Dark World

It was strange, he thought, the first time she shared his bed. Not a bad strange, just different. They had been friends for years having worked side by side on many late nights and weekends. He had considered taking her the first time he laid eyes on her but remembered that he had returned to the bureau looking for justice, not love. There was no way she would ever be just a one night stand. A woman like her was something he knew he would never get out of his system. 

So he ignored his urges and instead relished the nicknames and flirty banter she bestowed upon him. He watched from the sidelines as she got her heart broken a time or two and when he felt she needed him the most, he was there. It started with a night of 18 - year old scotch and the soothing sounds of Tony Bennett, though there wasn’t any sex and they both fell asleep on the couch.

It was several years after that when they finally came together. It was in fact the night of his birth. A day he vowed never to celebrate. He could see in her eyes how hard it was for her not to say “Happy birthday” when the day came and went. He admired her self control. Birthdays were a big deal to her, however, she respected him too much to go against his wishes.

This particular year was different. Somehow his daughter, Joy, had discovered it was his birthday and had insisted on having him over for dinner. She went with him as a friend. He caught a glimpse of her in the kitchen with Joy, standing over a cake adorned with candles. However, when the cake was brought out, the candles were noticeably absent. It was then he knew that she was the light in his dark world and all that he needed to survive.

Afterwards, they stopped briefly at her apartment so she could pick up a few things. They held hands in comfortable silence on the way to his house. Once inside, they went straight to bed fulfilling a need that both had been ignoring for too long. He watched her sleep as the morning light filtered in through the curtains and knew that his life would never be the same again.


	4. The Little Things

It was the little things he noticed at first. The things that often occurred when two people started to become a couple. An extra toothbrush on the bathroom sink. Hair barrettes, some make-up and a stick of deodorant in the corner. Feminine products under the sink and a few changes of clothes in his laundry. 

He sighs and removes a few long hairs from the sink before he begins to shave. She bustles in interrupting his routine.

“I’m shaving here,” he tells her.

“I need to pee,” she counters as she makes herself comfortable on the toilet.

He refrains from reminding her that there are three other bathrooms in the house and resumes shaving. She finishes her business, washes her hands in the sink he is using and scrambles out of the room.


	5. The Cabin in the Woods

The first time he took her to his cabin he chuckled at her wide-eyed look. The cabin was a far cry from the mansion he had in the city. This was quaint, primitive and nothing she could have imagined. There were two rooms; a bathroom and the rest of the place. He was surprised when she didn’t immediately demand to be taken home.

The next time they went to the cabin she had an extra bag of stuff she insisted on bringing. He went out to gather firewood and when he returned there were new curtains on the windows, knick-knacks on the shelves and a picture of them by the bed. 

He smiles and nods when they are shopping at a dollar store and she points out a set of kitchen towels she believes would be perfect for the cabin. She grabs some candles and two framed quotes - “You must be the change you wish to see in the world. Mahatma Ghandi” and “Sometimes the heart sees what is invisible to the eyes. H. Jackson Brown Jr.” The first hangs in the bathroom and the second above the bed.


	6. A Peaceful Reunion

He comes home late one night. The team had been out of town for nearly two weeks and all he wants is a drink, a shower and to drop into his bed. He grabs a drink from the bar and heads upstairs. He pauses halfway up taking in the framed photos that now adorn the wall. Some of the pictures had been sitting on a shelf in his den, pictures of Joy and Kai that he hadn’t gotten around to framing. But there they were, framed and hanging on the wall. 

There was a collage of his Mom and his siblings, as well as a few of Aaron and Jack. Taking another couple of steps, he admires the carefully chosen team photos, a shot of JJ and Will’s wedding and a family picture of JJ, Will, Henry and the youngest LaMontagne, Michael. The only thing missing he realizes is a picture of the two of them. He takes a sip of his drink and proceeds up the stairs. 

The door to his bedroom is open, soft light spills out from inside. He stops in the doorway. She sleeps peacefully on top of the covers, holding tightly to his pillow. A glance at the light next to his bed confirms his suspicions; both are covered with silky scarves that serve to brighten the room with color and simultaneously cut the light. He perches on the edge of the chair filled with throw pillows and an afghan.

“Hey,” she says sleepily.

He slides off his shoes and crawls onto the bed pulling her into his arms. She kisses him hard. He adjusts the pillow under his head. She’s already fallen back asleep. He closes his eyes, forgetting the shower and the drink as he drifts off to sleep with her.


	7. The Comfort In Her Arms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tissue warning

He steps out of the shower, one morning, to find her standing in the bedroom doorway.

“I can’t find Mudgie.”

“He’s probably outside,” he replies without worry.

“I called him, he didn’t come.”

He finishes dressing. The ground is covered deep in snow. Bundled up, he steps outside and surveys the unmarked snow. His heart skips a beat. He calls for Mudgie to come. There’s no bark, no movement in the snow. He glances at the doggy door searching for tracks but there are none.

He trudges through the snow headed for the forest at the back of his property. After several minutes he stops and calls again. A noise behind him makes him turn. She has followed him into the cold, bundled from head to foot in a bright pink parka and snow boots. He turns back to his search and continues on with her at his heels. 

It takes thirty minutes but they finally locate the old dog curled up under a tree. He tries to convince himself that Mudgie is merely napping but the truth seeps out from his eyes. 

She says nothing as he picks up his hunting partner and carries him back to the house. Together they make the long drive out to the cabin in the woods. She keeps him company as he digs a deep hole in the frost covered ground. She wraps Mudgie in his favorite blanket and adds a couple of toys. 

Later that day he takes comfort in her arms. She strokes his back as he cries over the loss of his dog. Some women may think less of him for this, but he knows that she thinks just the opposite. It makes him love her even more.


	8. Time for a Change

He comes home one night to find the house dark. Her car is noticeably absent from the garage. Instead of calling her, he waits for the garage to close before backing out on the street and heading to her place. She spends so much time at his place that he forgets the way to her apartment, eventually finding it. He parks on the street in front of the building, the light from her living room is on.

He makes his way into the building and up the stairs. The smell of pasta taunts his nose. Outside her door, he can hear the sweet strains of their favorite Sinatra song. Instead of using the key she gave him, he knocks. She opens the door wearing little more than a smile. She steps back to allow him room to enter.

He looks around the barely furnished room. A small table and two chairs are all that is left in the living room. He spots her bed sitting alone in the other room. The pasta he smelled in the hallway, waits on the table. She gestures for him to sit.

“Where is everything?” he asks finally. She stands next to him as he settles at the table.

She laughs. 

“Where do you think, mon ami?” She runs her hand through his hair. “Before I completely move in, I wanted to ask you something.”

It’s been almost two years since her things had begun encroaching upon his house. It happened so slowly, he didn’t think twice about new furniture appearing or things being rearranged. 

“Ask me anything.”

She drops slowly to one knee. “Will you marry me?”


	9. I Hate Profilers

Their wedding was a small affair, Dave’s family and the BAU members past and present. Morgan gave the bride away, Aaron stood as best man. Father Jimmy presided over the event. Neither of them wanted or needed a big, flashy event - they just wanted to be together and to be surrounded by the people they loved.

A private reception at their favorite restaurant capped the evening. They danced and celebrated the night away. However, he noticed that whenever they drank a toast, her glass remained conspicuously full. 

He grabs the glass from her hand and downs half of it for her. “Is there something you want to tell me, KItten?”

She smiles into his eyes. “I hate profilers.”

“I love you,” he replies placing a hand on her slightly swollen belly. They sway to the music, shutting out the world.


	10. It's All Because of Her

He taught her how to cook and she taught him to play the ukulele. They would sit on his back porch sipping their drinks, he would strum clumsily at the small instrument while she serenaded him with songs she loved to sing. She tried to get him to sing with her but he would just smile and shake his head. He took joy in just sharing her company and was willing to do anything to make her happy. Anything, but sing. 

He watches her as each day her body swells further with his child. He never thought he would take a chance on having a child again, nor did he think he would ever have a chance. 

It’s three in the morning, when she grabs his arm and squeezes so hard he loses feeling in his hand. The baby has decided to make an appearance. They rush to the hospital and he is just as nervous now as he was those oh so many years ago when his first wife was in labour. He stays in the room and holds her hand talking her through each moment as she pushes to bring their child into the world. 

Tears stream down his face as the first cry of his little girl bounces through the room. He watches in awe as she nestles against her Mother’s breast. Never in a million years, had he imagined he would see this day. 

He kisses his wife and child, thanking the powers that be for making his world twice as bright. For the first time since he can remember, he’s content and it’s all because of her.


End file.
